It's Been Far too Long
by Blame the Doctor
Summary: Being alone is always hard, but Annabeth is used to it. She's been left by so many, but when a certain son of the sea god leaves her without so much as a goodbye she throws herself into finding him. After six months it's been far too long.


**So this is my first Percabeth story. I've read a few stories on the same topic matter but I wanted to do my own interpretation of it. It's also the first time I've written in second person but thought I would give it a go. It's kind of a long one shot but I didn't think that it should be split into multiple chapters. Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!**

The day he disappears is just like any other day. The sun's shining, the Apollo kids are up and playing a quick game of volleyball before breakfast, the Hermes kids are stumbling out of their cabin blurry eyes, the Demeter kids are tending to the garden on their roof, the Ares cabin hasn't even stirred yet, and of course your cabin is half awake half asleep since most went to bed but some couldn't stop their work until the early hours of the morning and you can't blame them because it's not something you haven't done with the plans for Olympus and all.

Like every morning you go to wake him up since he'd miss breakfast with the way he sleeps. The curse of Achilles only added to his uncanny way to sleep anywhere anytime. The familiar walk among the cabins refreshes you, waking you up enough to be a bit perky. The cabin is the same as always, the modest gray rock studded with seashells as if it had been taken from the depths of the sea. A fresh sea breeze greets you as you move toward the door even though it's the middle of December and it reminds you of the summer.

Unlike every morning as you reach for the handle of the door, you get the feeling of unease as if something bad will greet you on the other side. These feelings only come every so often and when they do they're always right. You scoff at this one though for the first time. "What could possibly be wrong with entering? It's just Percy's cabin and while he may never clean, it's really not that bad and Percy will be there." Still you can't seem to shake the unease as you move to open the door and you slowly move to enter the room.

It's empty. That's the first thing that crosses your mind as you step inside. Percy's reassuring smell is all over the room like normal. The bed looks like it was slept in, the chip bags and empty coke cans are still scattered around the room because inspection isn't until Friday, and Percy never even thinks of cleaning until five minutes before inspection.

You're unnerved that's for sure, but not worried per say. Even though Percy has never ever gotten up by himself before, who's to say he didn't set an alarm today? You know that you're just making excuses as you run to the pavilion to see if he's gone to breakfast early today. People give you some strange looks as you run by because who just sprints as if there's a demon behind them to breakfast, but you just can't seem to shake the feeling that something is very _very_ wrong.

Arriving at the pavilion is even worse because he's not there either; the Poseidon table looks just as empty as it did before Percy ever arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Next you check the arena. Sometimes if Percy has a nightmare, he'll go to the arena and blow off some steam. As you travel there you can't hear the familiar sounds of swords ripping through straw dummies. Mrs. O'Leary's familiar bark gives some solace, but upon arriving and seeing no one there you're back where you started. This pattern repeats over and over with you coming up with reasons on why he would want to climb the lava wall at 8 in the morning or go foraging into the forest before breakfast and without any provisions.

After scouring the entire camp, only then, do you go to Chiron to see if he knows anything. Perhaps he sent Percy on a secret quest like the one Clarisse went on two years ago, but Percy would've told you right? Still there's the chance that something could've happened, like some odd sea creature needing help. But even then, Blackjack always gathers Percy for those expositions, and you already checked the stables. But you can't help making excuses, the other possibilities are too scary to consider.

Arriving at the Big House to the last place you'd look, the attic. Even after the oracle went into Rachel, Percy had so many bad memories of that place that he won't even go near the attic. You scour the Big House all its rooms and levels finally going into the attic. Everything is covered in a thin layer of dust. So many memories you pause just for a moment even though Percy isn't here. The silk scarf of Aphrodite is still there along with other various things from numerous quests. Shaking out of your nostalgia you finally go to Chiron. He's at archery by now since you missed breakfast, and even though you're supposed to be teaching an Ancient Greek myth class, you head toward the targets.

Chiron is there and though it kills you, you wait until he's done explaining before approaching. Chiron's expression is grim as you present him with your worries and you see the expression that Chiron always gets when presented with bad news about a camper. It's the look of acceptance that while he can prepare campers for the world he can't protect them. Seeing that look in his eyes, you can't take it anymore. You make a few excuses and run into your cabin where you finally break down briefly.

"There's nothing you can do right now Annabeth," everyone says "He's only been gone for a few hours; there's plenty of reasons why he's not here." But no matter what condolences people offer, nothing seems to remove the dread in the pit of your stomach or the feeling that had you running all over the camp in the first place.

The first day is the worst, not knowing anything and not seeing him after being promised the entire winter break. No one calls Sally, no need to worry her after only one day. The second day you break down and call Sally. It's a slim hope but hope none the less that he's there and you have nothing else to lose. When she tells you "No the last time I saw him was when he left with you." you break down briefly again, this time over the phone before you can explain anything. Sally is surprisingly understanding and after further thought you realize that she's become used to the fact that her son lives a dangerous life and then you realize that Sally is probably used to Percy disappearing without telling her. With that thought you promise yourself that when all this is over anytime you go on another quest with Percy you'll make sure that you call Sally on the way out though you know you'll probably end up breaking that promise.

Then that night the dream comes. No word from Olympus in months and when it comes, you receive the message from your least favorite goddess. It brings you hope but why would Percy only have one shoe and need to be picked up at the Grand Canyon which is across country? It seems a little farfetched, but the hope that your best friend and boyfriend could be there after two days of no word, well you're willing to do anything for it.

You've managed to get through the past two days with pretending that nothing was wrong. You ignored the sympathetic looks from the other campers put on the brave face that you wore when Luke betrayed you, when you ran away from home, when Thalia turned into a tree, and when you found out that more than half of your cabin was dead after the Titan war. Over the years you've perfected it and the only people who even came close to seeing through it was Chiron and Percy. You throw easy fake smiles over your shoulders as you walk away from the war council to talk to a certain son of Apollo about a flying chariot.

Taking Butch with you since he's the best with the Pegasus besides Percy, you hop into the borrowed chariot and the trip begins. As you get closer you can't help the hope that begins to swell in you. Percy has only been gone for two days but that's the longest times you've gone without contact since the Titan war. Though you try to quell the blossoming anticipation, you lean forward more as if that would make you get there faster.

As soon as the chariot lands you jump out onto the bridge and look around. There's a small Latino looking kid, who seems hyperactive, a pretty girl with kaleidoscope eyes and standing next to her is a guy with one shoe. You look around again but those are the only three on the bridge, no Percy. This takes seconds for you and immediately you run to the boy with one shoe and its all you can do not to scream in frustration, in fact you do burst out with "Where is he? Where?" before you realize that it's futile. He's not there.

Maybe you were a little cold on the way to camp but really you have an excuse.

Although you would rather be packing for your unofficial quest to find Percy and the last thing you want to be doing is showing another person the camp, the look Chiron gives you makes you concede. You start going through the motions while thinking of all the places to start and the provisions you'll need. Finally you take Piper to Rachel's cave to check if she's there yet. You called yesterday and though she doesn't get out of Clarion until the end of the week, she promised to be there. Your hopes plummet a bit more when she's not there.

When Piper mentions the coincidence of her and Jason meeting around the same time that Olympus closed, you have to mention the mist, it would be cruel not to. You can see in Piper's eyes that she hasn't given up on her and Jason and that's good. They had good chemistry from what she noticed in the chariot, and he liked her. That was obvious by the way that Jason would watch her when she wasn't looking. The look was hesitant like he wanted to be with her but at the same time held back like he wasn't allowed to even think of the possibility. Seeing Rachel was a surprise and when Piper blacks out in the Hera cabin of all places, you're happy to let Rachel take this one and head to dinner.

The eventful campfire fills you with purpose. One less life threatening quest for you to deal with, and besides you want to focus on finding Percy not saving Her Royal Peacock Feathers. Returning to your cabin you start packing your backpack with everything you could possibly need. Better to be over prepared than not have something. About to zip the bag you pause a minute and head to Percy's Cabin. There you grab another sweatshirt of his.

Upon returning to your cabin you run into Malcolm. He tries to persuade you to stay at camp at least until the winter solstice, but you have to do something. Percy could be out there all alone and you can't give up on him, not when he never gave up on you when you were kidnapped by the Manicore. Finally after seeing his concern, you realize that maybe you haven't doing such a good job with your mask. With that conclusion you push past your older brother and climb into your bunk claiming that you have a big day tomorrow and you need your sleep.

After the alarming appearance of Leo and his dragon "Festus" you head out to start your search for Percy. Stopping by Sally's for a quick update to make sure that Percy hasn't come by; you take a train out to Montana to check in with Grover. About a week later you get an Iris message from Chiron telling you to head back to Camp Half-Blood that there's a new update and Jason, Leo, and Piper are on their way back from their quest.

The war council is full of new information. Percy is alive, there's a Roman camp for roman demigods, and oh Percy most likely won't remember you when you finally find him. Not only that but you realize after the meeting that's it's going to be another 6 months before you will even have possible contact with Percy.

That realization is a stab into your heart and suddenly you find yourself at the beach knee deep in freezing cold water sobbing. The bottle where you put all your worries bursts with a bang, and you know that it has been about to break for a while now. Suddenly there are arms around you. Arms you haven't felt for at least 6 months. Thalia wraps you in a hug and lifts you from the water. You're transported back to when you were only 7 years old and the first time you had a nightmare with the group. Thalia did the same thing then, just holding you and letting you cry until there's nothing left. Finally after there are no more tears, you just rest your head against Thalia's shoulder and just rest. You're so tired. There's just nothing you can do anymore. Thalia carries you back to your bunk and you sleep.

The next morning is an eye opener as Thalia tells you that Jason is her brother that she thought had died when she was 12, and that she's at Camp Half-Blood to check in on him. Thalia understands you because she went through some of the same things when Luke betrayed them, a reason for joining the Hunters. Unlike the other girls, Thalia doesn't condemn boys and was one of the first to support you dating Percy.

During your free period you head to the Hephaestus cabin to talk to Leo. You know a bit about mechanics and if your help will make the process go faster you're willing to do about anything for that. Soon you find yourself spending almost as much time in Bunker 9 as Leo working on the ship, pulling up designs from your laptop that could help with the building of the ship and manage to cut down on some of the building. And maybe every once in a while a meal escapes your attention, but for the most part things are going well.

You sneak out every night to go to the beach as you've already gone through all of Percy's shirts and sweatshirts. Though sometimes you end up falling asleep, you for the most part manage to keep yourself together throwing yourself into working on the ship so you don't have to think about him. At night your subconscious brings up horrible nightmares about him not remembering and the beach before bed normally calms you enough to sleep through the night.

One night when changing into your pajamas which consist of a hoodie stolen from Percy's cabin and comfortable pants, Malcolm approaches you and though you brush him off with the smile you've been using the past 3 months he's persistent. You ignore him until he says "I know you go out to the ocean every night Annabeth. You're not ok no matter what you say or do."

That throws you off as you thought you were doing a good job of sneaking out and you freeze. In that moment you get angry. Malcolm just wants to help but there's no way you can deal with it now. Instead you brush past him, and head to the beach, your older brother calling out your name while you run. You know you'll have to face it eventually, but you can't risk opening up anymore, at least not now. You opened up before, he betrayed you, she became a tree and then a hunter, and now he's gone and doesn't even _remember_ you. As you run to the beach, tears streaming down your face, you cry out to the gods. It's not fair, not at all. They aren't talking to you, haven't had contact in three months, they took your boyfriend away. After everything with the Titan war, why can't they just leave you alone?

You fall asleep on the beach and the next day you don't even look at Malcolm. He knows that you weren't back in your bunk until the small hours of the morning slipping under the covers just before the early risers of the Athena cabin start to stir. The weeks go by and your mask is thick as ever until Chiron asks you to go visit your family for a while. He uses the argument that they haven't seen you all winter and the camp can go without you during spring break. After protesting that Leo needs your help on the Argo 2, Chiron finally produces a first class ticket to San Francisco forcing you to go.

Arriving back home is even harder because your dad and step mom are nauseatingly nice to you walking on egg shells in fear of saying the wrong thing. Sure you appreciate the extra cookies from your step mom and the old movie nights with your dad, but you're relieved to get back to Camp Half-Blood where everyone buys your mask.

June hits, the final month for the Argo II and they're scrambling to finish on time. Everything is almost done and you're on edge waiting for something to show up because even though Percy was safe at the Roman camp there has been absolutely no sign of him whatsoever. And that worries you because you know Percy's fatal flaw. Who knows whether he sacrificed himself for someone?

Tyson finally gets a scent. He was sent out with Mrs. O'Leary to look for traces of Percy because they had the most powerful noses. If Percy was to be found easily it would probably be by those two. When they started picking up traces of him in California, you're ready to catch the next flight, damn the consequences. Your duty to your friends and the fact that the Argo II will be finished in less than a week is what keeps you there.

Then the dreams come, glimpses of gorgons chasing him, with Percy winning each time, the bowling balls were creative you'll give him that. Finally you dream of him running alongside of you and when you turn you see him staring at you like you're some kind of ghost. You can't help but reach out your hand to him as you always do while running. You knew he was alive but it's all you can do not to reach out and kiss him. Instead looking at his adorably confused face you call "Thanks the gods! For months and months we couldn't see you!" You have to know if he's ok because you can't stand the thought him hurt and alone "Are you alright?" He stares at you with such longing that you gain some hope that he knows who you are and when he asks "Are you real?" you know that something has stuck in that seaweed brain of his. So though you know he's going to struggle with this you yell out "Stay put! It'll be easier for Tyson to find you! Stay where you are!" because your starting to wake up. Hopefully Percy will stay where he is at least until Tyson can track him down. When you wake up you can't believe that your subconscious thought that up, it was too Percy. Yet six months without contact are enough to make you skeptical.

The voicemail breaks you. His voice though recorded is the most you've heard of him and you can't hold back the tears that rush down your face as you realize that he's ok, that sure he's on a quest but he remembers his mother so he _has_ to remember _you_.

The Argo II is finally ready to set sail. You skipped the last semester of school so that you could go full time at camp. You're all packed and ready to go, the summer solstice is in about a week but they finished earlier than expected. Upon starting it up, there's an engine malfunction and you almost cry out of frustration. Leo sends the scroll, an invention of Daedalus, and finally _finally_ after another five days you're on your way. It's a two day journey to the Roman camp and though you're finally on your way, you still worry. It's in your nature; you even have back up plans for the back up plans.

As if that's not enough on your plate, the Mark of Athena burns in your pocket as you approach the Roman camp. The angry statue provides a distraction for your nerves as you find the way to approach the camp.

Scanning the crowd your eyes alight on him. He stares at you with that same mischievous twinkle in his eye, and for a second it's as if there was never a separation to begin with because he _remembers_ you. You can tell. You're sprinting for his form as soon as your feet hit the ground. You collide with that muscular body that is just so Percy and for the first time in six months you feel home. He's not getting away that easily though. He probably didn't even remember you for the most of the six months so you judo flip him and press your arm to his neck and threaten him because you really can't take a separation like that again. He just grins up at you like you're the most beautiful thing he's seen in a long time and then you're kissing and you ignore the uncomfortable shifting, and catcalls in the background because he's yours and you're his and it has been _far_ too long.


End file.
